Have we set the way our children think and see others...

More than we may realize?
Children pick up on so much that we may not even realize, is it possible parents play a bigger role in how their children see others and think about things... just from things parents say and do.. without giving it much thought?

very young children,yes, they don't know anything else, but when they start thinking for themselves, they will form their own opinions.i remember from quite an early age, maybe 8 ,i had my own opinions, but of course i never SAID so ,LOL, not till i got bigger, anyway.

I wonder about snobby people and children, violent people and children... etc..
Children learn from us, even when we aren't trying to teach. If we seem to look down on certain people or handle things in certain ways, are our children bound to pick up on that and maybe follow the same way?

Probably... which is why - if we care - we must be CAREFUL.

About the only thing I'm CERTAIN of is that no one learned
to "look down" on anyone from me.
I am not nearly so perfect that I feel I can look down on anyone.

However,
Teaching my child who NOT to be included criminals and petty
cheats, liars, etc. Character is important.
I didn't need to single anyone out to do that.

Predators ; murderers, rapists;bullies; those who prey on children -
definitely made my list! of "who not to be/who to avoid.
Whether - or not - it is an illness - they have no business in society.

on a wider level i agree that children primarily learn from their parents.that's where usually how they vote is formed,and most of their attitudes come from, some of these can be life long opinions .so breezey and jaaj you are both right.
even(or maybe because of) as a small child i reacted to eveybody intuitively, no matter what parents, teachers, or any one else TOLD me, i felt the vibes of others ,for good or not, i think many children do.

"so breezey and jaaj you are both right."

Rox,
Why, THANK you! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I think we all have the same "take" on where kids get their
opninions - initially. I agree with you that many (I think "most")
children are intuitive about people - and, left to their own devices,
do quite well chosing their role models, friends, etc.

AND THEN...
there is the ubiquitous "opinionator" aka: TEACHER, CLERGY, etc.
Grrrr.... my FOUR YEAR OLD SON [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] grrr... came home from
Nursery School excited because he had a girlfriend, Alicia, and
2 or 3 days later I was informed that he and Alicia would marry.
("Aren't they CUTE?", was everyone's "take": they were FOUR !)

The NEXT DAY... Greg came home and informed me that he and
Alicia would not marry, after all. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
"Why is that?"
BECAUSE... his TEACHER ...
- at his Nursery School ! - told him they couldn't.
REASON? (you might well ask...)
"Because", his teacher said, "[Greg] is white - and ALICIA IS BROWN."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
(I imagine they've restored that building to it's - more or less-
"pre-me" condition ... by now... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]...)
...like I care...

And that isn't a unique incident - not for me and - I'm willing to bet-
not for anyone.

I "explained" to that moron that her job was primarily
to keep Greg SAFE ... for cats sake!
I was also hoping - (since he's an only child)-
for some socialization for the little barbarian.
His Father and I ... grrr ... would teach him his prejudices, etc.

"It" is literally EVERYWHERE.
It isn't "just" predators of the jail-able variety; it's the parents (etc)
of the kids yours hang out with; it's the Nazi teaching history at the
High School... the misogynist at Bible School; the coach teaching his
"boys" that women are inferior athletes, the Home-Ec teacher
that thinks (?) boys are "funny" if they want to learn to cook and/or sew,
the lab instructor who thinks "girls" should stay in the kitchen/can't become astronauts/drive race cars/pilot airplanes...
... men can't be nurses/secretaries/yada-yada yada...

Gaaaaagh! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i can't believe that a teacher is teaching racial predjudice !! i feel though that you did the right teaching and greg was able to over ride that. i guess some people will always have prejudice, no matter who ,where or why .

roxanna wrote:i can't believe that a teacher is teaching racial predjudice !! i feel though that you did the right teaching and greg was able to over ride that. i guess some people will always have prejudice, no matter who ,where or why .

Rox,
Teachers are "just people", but most are conscientious enough to
teach their subject(s) and keep their personal opinions out of it.
I absolutely! could not believe that person had the gall...
(and she thought I was nuts.)
Maybe, but I prefer to give my child my prejudices,
thankyouverymuch... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
AND ! she was working on an Air Force Base - [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
where they talk the "Zero Tolerance" talk, anyway... walking it
is apparently sometimes another matter.
I think everyone has prejudices of one kind or another;
I do think however, that most of them are of a more specific
and personal nature.
(The "I hate all 'whatever' brand products because..." kind of thing.)
"Blanket" bigotry is frightening; it's so patently unreasoning.
"All" of anything is unlikely to be valid.
(Except mine, of course. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.])